Rome: Via Appia Antica, Trastevere

Via Appia Antica

My next stop was the Via Appia Antica, which I visited several years ago, but wanted to see again. In particular, I wanted to walk farther along the path, which stretches across Italy, from Rome to Brindisi, on the Adriatic coast. The main part of the Appian Way was started and finished in 312 BC.

A serene setting.

I took bus 118 from the Baths of Caracalla out to the catacomb of San Sebastiano, the farthest bus stop along the road. Then I walked for another hour, traversing the stones placed thousands of years ago by the Romans. Most people never get this far on the road, since one has to come by foot or bicycle. But there are many miles to go, if you're so inclined.

These stones were placed in 312 B.C.

I think that people get discouraged, because a long stretch of the road has everyday traffic, and then another long stretch has private residences on either side of the road. It's only after walking several hours that one gets to the best views, where the road is lined with cypress trees and surrounded by the quiet countryside. Well worth the walk, but next time I'll rent a bicycle and go even further.

Musicians playing in the piazza

On my last evening in Rome, I caught a bus, filled to capacity, to ride across town to Trastevere, one of my favorite spots in Rome. It's always entertaining, with its bohemian flair, and people swarm there on weekend nights. It's the "in" place to eat, though it's best to avoid the restaurants that offer a "tourist" menu, as it means they're serving food prepared ahead of time.

A wine bar with a unique look

Lungo il Tevere festival

From June to the last day of August temporary bars, restaurants and shops are opened next to the Tiber river for a festival called Lungo il Tevere (Along the Tiber). It's always fun to see the booths lighting up the river.

Lungo il Tevere booths with St. Peter's basilica in the background.

All too soon, it was time to catch the bus back to Termini and get packed to leave Rome.  Next stop: Naples!

Rome: Aqueduct Park and the Baths of Caracalla

Parco degli Acquedotti 

On my second day in Rome, I headed out early to visit the Parco degli Acquedotti or Aqueduct Park  south of the city.  Tourists rarely venture here, but there were many Romans out doing their daily dose of exercise: walking, biking, running, strolling with friends or dogs. 

Easy pickings: fresh figs!

Since the park is protected from development, it has a rustic air, with numerous wild flowers, along with fruit and nut trees along the paths. I even stumbled upon a man picking ripe figs from the numerous fig trees at the park, There's also a small waterfall from a stream running through the park: it was weird to hear the running water while imagining the transport of water across 45 miles of terrain.

The landscape of the Aqueduct Park

Next, I went to Terme di Caracalla,  or Baths of Caracalla. They were the second largest public baths built in Rome between AD 212 and 216. The sheer size of the remaining structures are impressive, making one wonder, "How did they do that?" Not just how did they build it, but how did they use all that space, just for baths?

Remnants of the past

Wikipedia comments that “Emperor Caracalla had the complex built as a piece of political propaganda. Romans from every social class enjoyed themselves in the impressive, exquisitely detailed building. Not only did this create a sense of unity, it also improved the public’s opinion of Caracalla because they attributed their pleasurable experience and lavish surroundings to him."

 

A rendering of the Roman baths

In modern times, the design of the baths was used as the inspiration for several modern structures, including New York City's Pennysylania Station. In the summer months operas are performed at a open air theater built near the ruins.

Portions of the floor that have been restored.

 Later in the day, I walked along the Via Appia Antica: more on that in the next post.

Rome: Pincio Park

Maritime Pines, Pincio Park

Having been to Rome often over the years, I didn’t have much planned for my brief stay this year. I booked a great little B&B where I’ve stayed several times in the past: near the Termini train station, and only 35 euros a night! Little Italy is a good walk from Termini, but it’s close to a metro stop and is run by Rene, a very attentive host.

Che tranquillo!

I arrived in Rome about 8:30 in the morning, to hot and humid weather. Very hot and very humid. Kind of like the weather at home! I was exhausted, so after I checked in, I crashed for a few hours before heading out in the city. I felt drawn to visit Pincio, a massive park on the other side of town. I took the metro and found myself in a part of the park I’d never seen before. There was a small lake, and row boats for hire for those wanting to join the ducks and swans paddling around in the water. I headed over to Villa Borghese, home of a famous art gallery with a wonderful collection of statues by Bernini. 

Moonlight Sonata amidst the trees in Pincio.

I’ve been to the gallery before, and wasn’t in the mood to be in a museum, so I opted instead to continue walking around the park, listening to a classical guitar player by the lake, and a jazz saxophone player closer to the Villa Borghese. The main thing that keeps pulling me back to Pinco are the maritime pines that look graceful over much of the part. I’m always entranced by their elegant beauty. 

Stately and elegant pines in Pincio

On the way back to the B&B, I stopped by several familiar areas: the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Trevi Fountain (now under construction) but was simply too tired to enjoy them for long.

The Pantheon, one of my favorite places in Rome

After nearly five hours of walking, I headed back to the B&B, stopping to eat dinner at an outdoor café near Santa Maria Maggiore, a huge and beautiful church in this part of town.

Cafe where I had dinner, with the cupola of Santa Maria Maggiore in the background.

A Wedding in Rome!

Sonia and Tiziano with the parents of the groom, Marco and Marvi.

One of the highlights of my short stay in Rome was to attend the wedding of Tiziano and Sonia. Tiziano is the son of my friends Marco and Marvi from Modena. I'd met Tiziano several times while visiting his folks in Modena. Sonia is from Rome, and also happens to be a famous rock singer in Europe, the lead singer in a heavy metal gothic rock band. But the wedding was pretty low-key, elegant and traditional, in contrast to Sonia's usually dramatic stage presence.

La Chiasetta: Santa Maria in Tempulo

The wedding was a civil ceremony in a deconsecrated church, so it only lasted a few minutes, and we were quickly ushered out of the building to make way for the next couple. It seems they schedule many weddings a few evenings a week, only 30 minutes apart. As usual, the elegant attire of the Romans made me feel dowdy in comparison. Most of the women wore dresses suitable for a prom  or evening gown. I wanted to at least get photos of some of the amazing 4-inch heels that were prominent that day, but restrained myself from acting like a tourist.

Sonia with one of her attendants

Sonia and Tiziano with members of her band

The wedding "carriage"

After the wedding, we made our way out of the city, only to find ourselves in gridlock during the usual Friday evening traffic chaos as Romans headed out of town for the weekend. And then we got lost, even though there was a GPS thingy in the car. What should have taken 30 minutes stretched into 90, but we finally made it to an elegant hotel in the Alban Hills in Marino, Italy, across the lake from Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence.

A view of Lake Albano from the hotel.

The wedding cena is really the main event of the Italian wedding, and it goes on for hours. Another Italian friend shared the details when planning the menu and cost of his wedding cena, and all the headaches that went along with it. First, there's the aperitivi, which at this wedding was a buffet of numerous dishes, every one of them elegant and exquisitely delicious. Carpaccio of salmon, swordfish and tuna; marinated anchovies; grilled zucchine and stuffed squash flowers; a salad of shrimp and other shellfish;  meats wrapped around cheese; and tiny sandwiches with melt-in-your-mouth fillings. And of course, Prosecco (sparkling wine) and Verdicchio (a white wine) were flowing in abundance to accompany the appetizers.

Aperitivi buffet tables: fish and vegetables

Nearly two hours later, we were asked to sit down for the main courses: risotto with scampi, ravioli with pears and taleggio cheese, and baked branzino (sea bass) fillet. And two hours after that, there was the wedding cake to cut and another buffet, this time with fruit and pastries. OH MY! Somehow, I managed to taste a little of a lot of things and never got really stuffed.

My place setting at the cena: they even spelled my name right!

Brindisi! Toasting i sposi

Things started winding down about midnight, and I waited with a number of other guests to ride back to Rome in a shuttle. We waited and waited and waited, and it finally showed up about 1 a.m. From the hotel where the shuttle stopped, I caught a taxi across town to Termini with a couple headed in the same direction, and made it back to my hotel about 2 a.m. I still had to pack for my 9 a.m. train to Naples in the morning, so I didn't get much sleep that night. But I had an unforgettable experience, and feel honored that I was included in this special event.

Last of all, every guest recieves a bomboniere, or wedding favor. Here's what they looked like:

Bomboniere

Bombonieri usually include Jordan almonds, known in Italian as confetti. Though it looks sweet and all, you have to literally rip the thing open to get to the almonds, in a small bag underneath a mound of linen and stuffing. So perhaps the confetti is merely a gesture, and the favor is to be kept unopened, as a memento of the wedding. My gift to the couple? Since the honeymoon will involve travels to New York, San Francisco, and Hawaii, I bought them a travel guide for each destination. Other guests gave money to pay for the trip.

How about this? Those are Swarovski crystals decorating these beauties!

A parting shot: as were waiting for the shuttle back to Rome, I asked one of the women if I could take photos of her shoes, which I had been admiring all evening. They were truly works of art, and I can only imagine how much they cost. But she explained that they were a gift, worn at her son's wedding three years ago, and they are very comfortable. Who knew?

Rome: Cinecittà, Trastevere and Palatine Hill

At the Cinecittà Studios

On my second day in Rome I took the Metro south to the Cinecittà studios, the largest film studio in Europe, where Fellini filmed his movies, and where many American movies have been filmed, including Ben Hur, Cleopatra, and The Agony and the Ecstasy. More recently, the BBC/HBO production of the popular series Rome was filmed there.

On the set of Rome

Unlike Universal Studios in the States, Cinecittà is NOT a theme park: instead, it's still a working studio and has many interesting exhibits about filmmaking, along with tours of the sets. Scorcese's Gangs of New York was filmed at Cinecittà, but unfortunately a fire in 2007 destroyed many of the sets from that film. We saw a few of them, as well as the sets used in the filming of Rome,  which were being set up for a wedding while we were there....I can just imagine what that cost! I recently watched Rome on DVD, and many of the scenes were fresh in my mind, so it was cool to see where they were filmed.

On the Rome set, a pathway is created for the bride

That evening, I took the H bus over to Trastevere, to stroll the familiar streets of this bohemian quartiere of Rome. One of my objectives was to try, once again, to hit a unique store that in English would be called Books, Chocolate and Wine. I had been by the store numerous times in the past, but never when it was open. It's an odd little store, and not very attractive inside. But they serve something very unique: liqueurs in edible chocolate shot glasses. I ordered one called Scapatella, with hazelnut liqueur, topped with panna (whipped cream). The waitress told me to place the entire concoction into my mouth, all at once, and then enjoy the explosion of flavor. YUM! Certainly worth another visit!

Photo courtesy of An American in Rome

The next morning, I got up early to visit Palatine Hill, the most central of the seven hills of Rome, a Roman ruin site that I'd not yet visited. I got there just as it was opening at 8:30 am, and had the place to myself for the first thirty minutes. It's a large, sprawling site, one of the most ancient parts of the city. According to legend, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave where twin brothers Romulus and Remus were found by a she-wolf that kept them alive. When they were older, the boys decided to build a new city of their own on the banks of the River Tiber. However, during a violent argument between the brothers, Romulus killed  Remus, and named the city Rome.

Palatine Hill

I spent several hours wandering around the site, and enjoyed myself, as it was like being in a huge park. However, at times I found it frustrating to find my way around, as no maps were provided, and even though I had a printed guide to some of the most interesting spots, the signs were often confusing or misleading. I never was able to find the spot designated as the hut of Romulus and Remus. Included in the ticket price one can also visit the Roman Forum, but since I'd already seen it several times before, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding I would attend that evening.

Rome: Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant'Angelo and the Pope!

Castel Sant'Angelo

My stay in Rome was hectic and intense, but I was able to visit a few sights I'd neglected during previous visits. After getting settled in a guesthouse near Termini train station, I headed out on bus 64 to Torre Argentina, near the Pantheon. I know this area well, and headed directly to Piazza della Minerva, most noted for Bernini's statue of an elephant with an obelisk on its back.

Pulcino della Minerva

This time I wanted to visit the church behind the statue, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, so called because it was built over a temple to the goddess Minerva. The church was built in a gothic style, and was modeled after Florence's Santa Maria Novella. One of the highlights here is Michelangelo's marble sculpture Cristo della Minerva, also known as Christ Carrying the Cross, made in 1521. The cloth covering his private parts was added later.

Cristo della Minerva

My next stop was Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, noted for its unique suite of private family apartments and its art gallery, with works by Caravaggio, Rafael, and Titian among the 550 in the family collection. An audio guide by Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj, the current heir,  provided an intimate family history that was an enjoyable addition.

Next, as I headed towards Piazza Navona, I noticed a crowd gathered on one of the streets. I couldn't see what was happening, so asked someone about it, and learned that the Pope was saying Mass at the Basilica di Sant'Agostino, celebrating the Feast of St. Augustine. Since it was impossible to see through the crowd, I continued on, only to find another crowd on the next street, lined up and waiting for the Pope to come by. I was able to get in the front line, and sure enough,  a normal black car with the Pope drove by, surrounded by security guards. I caught the event on video, with Pope Francis waving from his window.

This is one of the things that I love about being in Rome: you never know what might happen, just around the corner. I've witnessed some amazing events that I could never have planned for, just by being in the right place at the right time.

After that, I spent some time hanging out in Piazza Navona, enjoying the music and art that is a common event in this popular Roman spot.

Piazza Navona

My last stop on this LONG day, which had included a transatlantic flight from home, was visiting Castel Sant'Angelo, where they were giving night tours of the fortress, originally built by Hadrian as his family mauseleum. Later, it was used by the popes as a fortress, prison and castle, and it's now a museum.

View of St. Peter's Basilica from Castel Sant'Angelo

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was being able to enter a secret passageway that led from the fortress to the Vatican. You can see from the photo above that it's no short distance. Now read on:

"The Passetto di Borgo is an elevated passageway some 800 metres in length that passes evocatively above the bustle of the everyday world as it runs along the top of the walls that used to surround and protect the Leonine city, connecting the Castle to the palaces in the Vatican. The walkway was added to the wall so that the Popes could reach their private apartments in the Castle without descending to street level, but more importantly so that they could escape from the Vatican in case of impending danger." This info comes from the following site, which has more photos:

Notti d'estate a Castel Sant'Angelo

I walked part of the way along the passetto, then returned to the Castel for a free concert, which was another surprise. A lovely performance that included music by Puccini, Gershwin and Morricone, among others, was held in an open room atop the fortress. About 11 pm, I decided I'd had enough for one day and boarded a bus that took me across town and back to Termini. From there I had a short walk to my hotel, where I crashed, satisfied by the full day I had spent enjoying Rome.

Happy Birthday, Roma!

Today is Rome's birthday and Romans have a weekend of celebrations planned to celebrate the 2765th anniversary of the founding of Rome. (Hard to imagine!) Instead of candles, they will celebrate with plenty of fireworks!

Natale di Roma, or The Birth of Rome was established as a national holiday in 1924, and was celebrated on April 21. The date was chosen because, according to legend, Romulus founded the city of Rome on 21 April, 753 B.C. The philosopher Varro stated that April 21 was chosen as an auspicious occasion according to astrological calculations. This story was passed down through the writings of some philosophers of antiquity, including Varro. 

Today also ends La Settimana della Cultura, the Week of Culture, when many museums have free admission. I went to Rome earlier this week to take advantage of the event, only to find out that the places I was most interested in seeing were not included on the list! (Baths of Caracalla, Palazzo Barberini's Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, and the Galleria Borghese, which had a reduced fee, but was sold out until April 26.) The Colosseum and Roman Forum were also not free. I did manage to visit Galleria Spada, where I went to see several paintings by my favorite female painter, Artemesia Gentileschi. It seems the economic crisis has caused the city to limit the free admissions this year. 

On Sunday, a parade with 48 historical groups participating will stroll through the streets of Rome in full Roman regalia, then be on display in the Circo Massimo area. I plan to be there!

Rome in the rain

Porta del Popolo

I headed out early on another rainy day to meet some friends in Rome. Actually, they are friends of Deborah, the woman I'm house-sitting for, but they invited me to meet them for lunch that day. I arrived several hours early so I could explore the area between Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna, where we planned to meet.

Piazza del Popolo

First, I went to Santa Maria del Popolo to see two Caravaggio paintings in the Chigi chapel of the church. Then I made my way down Via del Corso to view the house where Goethe lived when he stayed in Rome. A few streets over I found the decrepit mausoleum of Emperor Augustus and his family (from 26 BC!), then the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace), built about the same time, but still in pristine condition, as it is made of marble rather than the brick of the mausoleum.

A flower vendor stops on Via del Corso to make a sale

Titti and Luana had asked me to meet them at Babington's, a tea house near Piazza di Spagna. I was confused by this, as drinking tea in Rome is not something I am eager to do in Rome, and the prices at this particular spot are a bit high: at least 10 euros for a single cup of tea! I'd rather spend my money on Italian food. But situated as it is across from Gucci, Dior and Prada stores, and the Keats-Shelley museum, it seems they can get away with charging whatever they want.

Titti

Titti met me in front of Babington's, carrying a large umbrella with the American flag on it in my honor. Fortunately, tea was not on the agenda for the day: it turns out that the tea house is simply a convenient place to meet. Instead, we proceeded to the Antica Enoteca, where we met Luana, and settled in with glasses of wine and aperitivi (appetizers), served by the lovely sommelier, Silvia. For more info, here's a link:

Antica Enoteca Wine Bar/Restaurant

 

Titti and Luana at Antica Enoteca

Titti, Luana and Deborah had all worked as flight attendants for more than 20 years on the Alitalia airline, until they were laid off three years ago. Their layoff entitled them to cassa integrazione, a kind of monthly payment, until they are old enough to retire. However, with the current economic situation in Italy, the cassa integrazione is in danger of being eliminated, which would leave these three women and numerous other Italians with no income until they can retire. Since job options are few and far between in Italy, even for the young, they are worried about their future, and rightfully so. In fact, there was a protest in Rome at Piazza della Repubblica that day about the cassa integrazione situation.

Titti and Luana headed for the Pantheon

After the aperitivi, we headed out to locate a restaurant that Silvia had recommended near the Pantheon, Osteria del Sostegno. By this time, it was raining pretty steadily, and the streets were filled with colorful umbrellas. At the Pantheon, we watched the rain coming through the oculus (opening) in the center of the dome, and stopped to view the tomb of Rafael. At the restaurant, we had a feast of antipasti that Silvia had recommended we try. Everything was exquisitely delicious. Then we each had a primo (first course), along with more wine, and an exceptional tiramisu for dessert. Another fabulous meal in Rome! I was happy to make the acquaintance of Titti and Luana, and we have plans to meet for lunch again in a few weeks.

For more info on the restaurant, here's a link:  Il Sostegno

Le ragazze all' Antica Enoteca